Manufacturing industry undergoing rapid sustainability transformation

Schneider Electric has partnered with MIT Technology Review to reveal a concerted push towards sustainability within the manufacturing sector, with a long-term goal of total carbon visibility across the entire supply chain.

The joint research, entitled ‘Equipment management and sustainability’, reveals that leading manufacturers are shifting to making sustainability the goal of process improvements rather than merely a by-product of responsible equipment management.

The report provides a number of key takeaways. Leading firms are modernising processes to enable decarbonisation. This is achieved by improving equipment operations, reducing waste, and making products with less carbon-intensive inputs.

The report suggests that manufacturers are seeking increased access to visibility through data analytics and digitally connected supply chains. Embracing Industry 4.0 principles, manufacturers are using sensors and performance management tools to increase the flow of carbon/sustainability-relevant data across the firm’s entire operations.

Technology is also being used to build better predictive processes and reorganise them to be leaner and modular. It allows producers to adjust assembly lines, processes, and material inputs for more precise calibration. In turn, this allows for better forecasting and ‘on demand’ customized manufacturing.

Organisations can now use virtual designs to stress-test new sustainability production models in virtual reality before committing them to the carbon intensive ‘physical’ reality, such as digital twinning to reduce energy in production design processes.

Further, leading manufacturing firms are reimagining manufacturing processes in pursuit of ‘circular economy’ goals. This often involves a long-term business plan for managing materials and ‘design for sustainability’ manufacturing principles.

These include building facilities to disassemble existing products to make better use of spare parts and total cost of ownership (TCO) models, which link product design to fewer processes, more sustainable inputs, and even reducing the lifespan of machinery-intensive products to take advantage of iterative innovations in electric efficiency.

Frédéric Godemel, EVP of power systems and services at Schneider Electric, said: “Manufacturing is transitioning from incidental to intentional sustainability, according to this new report. Sustainability is no longer a happy coincidence; now, the illustrious pairing of efficient equipment management and purposeful green principles sees manufacturing set on a course for effective decarbonisation in the long term.

“That being said, the time we have to decarbonise is swiftly dwindling. Manufacturers must accelerate their efforts through optimal use of data and digital technologies if the industry is to make a significant contribution to international climate goals when it matters.”

Schneider Electric Ltd

Stafford Park 5
Telford
TF3 3BL
UNITED KINGDOM

+44 (0)330 5878030

www.se.com/uk

More news
1 day ago
RS unveils Better World product range of sustainable products
RS Group, a global omni-channel provider of industrial product and service solutions, has announced the launch of its Better World product range.
2 days ago
Sumo processing system offers big benefits thanks to Yaskawa robot
A new robotic handling system based on the MOTOMAN GP7 robot from Yaskawa has proved to be very successful on an automatic grinding machine for a major German pump manufacturer which specialises in supplying customised pumps for automotive engineering applications.
5 days ago
Schaeffler destroys ten tonnes of counterfeit rolling bearings
Schaeffler takes regular and consistent action against counterfeit products, and now it has had around 30,000 counterfeits with a total weight of ten tonnes destroyed in Schweinfurt.
5 days ago
Klüber Lubrication awarded with gold medal for sustainability again in 2023
Klüber Lubrication was awarded the ‘gold medal’ by EcoVadis, a leading company for sustainability ratings, for the second time after 2022. This makes the lubricant manufacturer one of the best four percent of more than 100,000 companies rated worldwide.
5 days ago
Festo highlights the benefits of standardised hardware
Festo says its standardised hardware and the ability to work with the industry leading control architectures makes its stepper and servo drives, remote I/O and valve terminals a natural choice for machine manufacturers and end-users.
1 week ago
NSK spindle bearings boost reliability at automotive plant
A large manufacturer of automotive engines has significantly improved the reliability of its CNC machining centres by adopting NSK sealed spindle bearings that prevent the ingress of cutting fluid.
1 week ago
Automotive manufacturers are rethinking ‘just in time’ approach
Supply chain disruption and rising material costs are causing the global automotive industry to re-evaluate lean manufacturing principles, reveals a new survey commissioned by ABB Robotics.
1 week ago
Spring budget presents mixed bag for UK industry
The Chancellor’s spring budget presents a mixed bag for UK industry, says Mark Yeeles, VP for industrial automation at Schneider Electric in the UK and Ireland, commenting: “While the full expensing measures are a good step towards encouraging the investment that is vital for our sector to become more efficient and productive, the imminent end to energy cost support presents an existential threat to many businesses in our sector.”
1 week ago
William G Search wins Atlas Copco Compressors’ Distributor of the Year Award
Honouring William G Search with the Distributor of the Year Award, Ariel Rubinstein, general manager at Atlas Copco Compressors, said: “At Atlas Copco, we want to recognise and celebrate partners who contribute towards our overall growth.
1 week ago
CMZ and NSK celebrate over 25 years of technology collaboration
World-renowned Spanish lathe manufacturer CMZ is lauding more than 25 years of high-level technological collaboration with linear motion and bearing specialist NSK. The company’s machines incorporate NSK innovations that include ground ball screws, linear guides and super-precision bearings.

Login / Sign up